If we had to do a stunt, it could have been done 15 days or a month ago, says Goa BJP General Secretary after Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar inspected two under-construction bridges recently.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar inspects a bridge on Mandovi river in the coastal state.

Panaji:

A day after Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar inspected two under-construction bridges, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday said the Congress should stop politicising his health issue.

The Congress has been holding "Jan Akrosh" rallies across Goa demanding "resumption" of governance in the state, claiming Mr Parrikar's health has affected the functioning of the administration.

"For the last two months, Congress has been raising the issue of CMs health by holding various protests. They don't get any response for it because people have high regards for Parrikar. Everyone knows the contribution of Parrikar to the state," state BJP General Secretary Sadanand Tanavade said at a press conference.

He said the Congress should stop politicising the health issue.

Referring to Mr Parrikar's visit to two under-construction bridges on Mandovi and Zuari rivers, he said people have now fully realised that what the Congress had been saying about Mr Parrikar's health was far from truth.

"There is no question of a stunt. If we had to do a stunt, it could have been done 15 days or a month ago... Court matter is different and this is different," Mr Tanavde said.

Mr Parrikar is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and Delhi since February.

The Opposition has demanded his resignation on account of his prolonged ill-health.

Mr Tanavde said that due to the "inhuman" and "insensitive" politics played by the Congress, which had staged a morcha on Mr Parrikar's private residence demanding a meeting with him last month, no leader from that party would be allowed to meet the chief minister henceforth.